The Professional Fellows Program is merit-based and it affords promising young professionals from Belarus the opportunity to gain practical experience in, and exposure to, United States policies and offices related to innovation and entrepreneurship. The fellows will be part of a larger cohort of the Professional Fellows Program, joining fellows from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine working on different PFP topics in 2016. The knowledge and interest of our Belorussian innovation fellows will be expanded through short-term fellowships in a variety of American organizations and state bodies across the United States that address innovation/entrepreneurship policy issues. All finalists are assigned individual placements based on their application, goals, professional background and sphere of interest.

Program Goals
1. Strengthen understanding of the U.S. policies related to innovation and/or entrepreneurship
2. Create partnerships between innovation focused institutions in the U.S. and Russia.

Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for PFP, applicants must:
• Be a citizen of Russia and currently reside in your country of citizenship. Applicants living outside of their country of citizenship will not be considered eligible to apply;
• Be 25 to 35 years of age at the time of application;
• Be a college graduate (equivalent of a Bachelor's degree or higher);
• Be proficient in English. If you are selected as a semi-finalist, we will give you a free institutional TOEFL exam, unless you have a valid TOEFL score over 500 (paper test) or over 60 (iBT test) or its equivalent;
• Have relevant experience in and commitment to a career in the public sector and/or nonprofit sector ; and
• Have demonstrated leadership and collaborative skills (please elaborate on your activities in essays in the end of this application, and upload any certificates/materials demonstrating your leadership skills).

Individuals in the following circumstances are NOT eligible to apply to participate as Fellows in the Professional Fellows Program:
• U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the United States
• Individuals currently participating in academic, training, research programs, or who are currently working in the United States
• Individuals who have already been recipients of and participated in LEAP/LFP/PFP
• Individuals currently residing or working outside their country of citizenship
• Individuals who have applied for U.S. permanent residency in the past three years
• Persons arrested for, charged with, or convicted of a crime as further detailed by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs